


This or That

by chidoriXblossom



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22916347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chidoriXblossom/pseuds/chidoriXblossom
Summary: A strange day for Virgil when Gordon and Alan start shouting random words at him.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	This or That

**Author's Note:**

> Asked for a prompt from Gumnut to help get me back into the swing of writing for TAG. I've been away for some time and missed the fandom terribly. This is the result of Nutty's prompt: Virgil and answers - without knowing the question.

Virgil trudged down the stairs to the kitchen with a hand scratching through his hair and his eyes barely open. It was ten in the morning and he’d only got back from a rescue five hours ago. Not nearly enough sleep had been acquired and he was grumpy as hell, but Scott had been called away in One so Virgil was on standby. 

“Morning, son.” The words caught Virgil off guard, stopping him in his tracks in a heartbeat. Bleary brown eyes still adjusting to the morning light peered across the room and took in the image of a silver haired man standing at the kitchen counter.

Jeff Tracy. His father. Home with them at last, after all these years.

It had been three days since that emotional trip to the oort cloud, and the reality of having him back was still sinking in. Virgil’s brain being half asleep didn’t help, but seeing his dad smile at him immediately lifted his grumpy mood.

“Morning, dad.” How many times had he longed to speak those words again? To casually greet his father the way so many kids did and took for granted every single day. 

Virgil would never grow tired of it.

Jeff had a long recovery ahead of him. His miraculous survival aside, those eight years had taken a toll on his body more than he appeared to let on. Earth’s gravity, sunlight, the wind in his face, a balanced meal, not having to go everywhere with a helmet and monitor his oxygen levels - all of these things he was having to reacclimatise to. 

But he was doing well, remarkable even, able to wander comfortably around their home almost as if he’d never been gone.

He was living proof that miracles did happen. 

“No coffee!” Gordon’s shrill yell from the pool ripped through the calm serenity of the moment, and Virgil felt his spine straighten abruptly.

No coffee? What? Those brats better not have finished it all. Virgil desperately needed his morning fix.

He marched across the kitchen with a low growl, his father chuckling as he passed, and yanked open his large metal tin which housed his daily drug. Personal stock.

It was almost completely full. Having been topped up yesterday perhaps only two helpings had been taken - one no doubt from Scott, the thief. 

Virgil turned and scowled in the direction of the pool, spotting Alan on a lounge chair while Gordon cavorted in the water. “Yes, there is,” the second eldest retorted, only for the pair to snigger away to each other.

What the hell? Were they just winding him up for a laugh?

His father’s hand landed on his shoulder and Virgil instantly let some of the tension fall away from him. “Nice to know not much has changed around here,” Jeff said, a smile on his lips and fondness in his eyes.

Coffee and Gordon’s weird taunts forgotten for the moment, Jeff’s most sensitive son turned and hugged him.

Why? Because he finally could. Whenever he wanted.

~*~

At around lunchtime Virgil found himself down in the hangar doing some repairs to his firefighter exo suit. Scott had returned just over an hour ago so the Thunderbird Two pilot was no longer on standby, but had decided against going back to bed. Catching up on some maintenance while he had the chance seemed like a far better use of his time.

With everything that had been going on over the past few days, rescuing their dad and then helping him readjust, as well as the little party to celebrate Alan’s graduation, Virgil hadn’t had any time to look at the exo suit, still damaged following its rather violent incursion with Gordon’s magnetic cable on the crab logger mission.

In truth it wasn’t the only thing still suffering from that day. The mottle of bruises across Virgil’s right side were still impressive even now, and the aches and pains from his tumble were likely to linger for days. In any case it was still way better than getting flattened by a burning tree, so he wasn’t about to complain.

Maybe he should think about reinforcing the padding though, to give himself a little extra cushioning when, not if, he had another accident with the suit in the future.

It was something to think about, but repairing the damaged hydraulics and all out replacing the knackered battery pack had him occupied for now. One of the bracing bars was bent too. Virgil sighed and reached for his toolbox.

“Pod!”

He nearly jumped out of his skin, fumbled with his tools and knocked a knuckle open on the edge of the box.

“Dammit, Alan!” Virgil raised his hand and sucked at his latest injury, frowning when he felt the sting where a chunk of skin and flesh had been gouged out. 

His little brother appeared on the module ramp and looked inside. “You okay, bro?”

With the taste of blood in his mouth Virgil turned and scowled. “Don’t scare me like that. What the hell?”

Alan’s hands flew up in defence. “Sorry, sorry. My bad.” He peered directly at Virgil. “Are you licking your own blood? Eww.”

With his uninjured hand Virgil pointed. “Out. Now.”

“Okay, okay. I’m gone.” And he was, before Virgil thought to ask what that had all been about in the first place. 

Letting out a long sigh he waited until his knuckle had mostly stopped bleeding and returned to his work. He’d corner Alan later.

~*~

The afternoon was quieter. With his knuckle taped up to prevent any annoying further bleeding Virgil climbed the stairs above the lounge and decided to work a little on his current painting project. 

With palette and brush in hand he stood before his easel and contemplated each careful brush stroke, his hands trying to produce the masterpiece he held within his mind’s eye. The world around him was quiet, as if respecting his wish for peace while inspiration had its hold on him. 

He reached forward to add a touch of cerulean blue--

“Space!”

\--and barely avoided dropping his palette and splattering paint everywhere as Gordon’s very loud exclamation shattered the tranquility for the second time that day. Virgil downed his paints and rounded on the railing. His eyes locked with Gordon’s below.

“Will you stop that,” he snapped. “I’m trying to work here.”

Gordon flopped down on one of the sofas as Alan appeared with a large bowl of popcorn. “Sorry, bro. Hey, d’you wanna come watch a movie with us?”

Virgil’s shoulders dropped just a little but he held onto his irritation. “I really wanted to paint for a bit.”

“Then do that,” Gordon smiled. “We’ll be quiet, won’t we, Alan?” The youngest nodded round a mouthful.

Virgil rolled his eyes. Those two? Quiet? Pigs would fly first.

His brief moment of inspiration had now left him anyway. As the definitely not-quiet opening credits of the film rolled Virgil turned back to his painting and decided against taking up the brush again. Inspiration couldn’t be forced after all.

He retreated from the lounge and went to find Scott instead. He always felt more relaxed when he got to hang out with his big brother.

~*~

“Am I being stupid? I feel like I’m being stupid.”

Virgil stood beside Scott in the hangar by Thunderbird One, the elder observing as Brains ran checks on the rocket plane following its most recent mission. 

Scott looked calm and relaxed, way more so than Virgil could remember seeing him in a long time. Their trip to the oort cloud had done more than save their dad. It had saved Scott just as much.

“I wouldn’t say stupid,” the eldest Tracy replied. “But maybe you are overreacting a little. Gordon and Alan are always noisy.”

Virgil frowned a little. “But that’s just it. It’s not them being noisy that’s bothering me. It’s that they keep shouting things and catching me off guard.”

“Oh?” He finally had Scott’s full attention as his brother turned to look at him. “What kind of things?”

Virgil made a slightly confused grumble of complaint. “Just completely random words that don’t relate to anything. ‘No coffee, pod, space.’ Then they just carry on with what they’re doing as if nothing happened.”

Scott raised an eyebrow and Virgil almost groaned when he saw a hint of amusement in those bright blue eyes. So much for hoping Scott would take him seriously.

“Whatever they’re up to, I wouldn’t let it bother you. I’m sure they’ll get bored of whatever it is and stop sooner or later.”

“That’s just it though,” Virgil said insistently. “I want to know what ‘it’ is.”

That eyebrow quirked up again. “Then ask them.”

A snort. “Yeah, like they’d tell me.”

“Insist.”

“I haven’t had the chance.”

Scott shrugged and opened his mouth again, probably to impart some deep brotherly wisdom for Virgil to roll his eyes at, when the doors above them on the gangway hissed open and Alan appeared.

“Medic!”

Virgil went rigid and Scott mirrored it, both their heads turning towards the stairs before they bolted for them. Alan was already gone and Virgil charged up towards the door, taking the steps two at a time. Scott took them at three - ever the sprinter with those long legs of his.

All sorts of scenarios rushed through Virgil’s head as they nearly took the doors down and rushed along the hall towards the infirmary. Had something happened to their dad? Had he taken ill? Did Virgil have what he needed on the island to treat him? All his medical training kicked into overdrive in his head as he reached the room just a few strides behind Scott.

It was empty.

Virgil slammed his hand on a wall console. “John, where’s the situation?” It was a bit breathless but demanded an immediate response.

John’s little holographic form appeared by his hand. _“What situation?”_

“Alan just shouted for a medic.” The look in Scott’s eyes was something fierce, his commanding tone unmissable.

John appeared to type at something but still looked confused. _“There’s nothing coming up here for me at all. Not a peep anywhere.”_

Virgil blinked and turned a look of disbelief towards Scott. He saw the moment the penny dropped in his brother’s expression, panic giving way to barely controlled anger.

“See!” Virgil snapped. “This is what I was talking about.”

Scott brushed past him and headed out the door. “I’m putting a stop to this right now.”

Virgil shared a glance with holographic John before following his big brother.

~*~

They found Alan back with Gordon in the lounge, still watching their movie. Their dad was at his desk, catching up on a few things while occasionally glancing over his two youngest. Just seeing him there instantly calmed some of Virgil’s anxiety, but he kept the frown on his face as he and Scott approached.

Scott stepped down into the sunken lounge and paused the movie, ignoring the whining complaints from Gordon and Alan.

“I don’t know what you two are up to, but shouting for a medic when there isn’t an emergency is out of order, Alan.”

Virgil noticed their dad straighten in his chair with a slight frown. Alan stared up at Scott defiantly.

“I just called out the word. There was no urgency to it,” he argued. “Since when do we use that term anyway? I’d just shout you by name if there was a problem.”

Virgil moved to stand beside Scott. “You still gave us a scare.” He folded his arms over his broad chest and put on his best disapproving frown. “We thought something might have happened to dad.”

Guilt washed over Alan’s face instantly. “Sorry, I didn’t think of that.” His gaze flickered away and then came back again. “It won’t happen again.”

Taking the apology for what it was worth, because he could tell Alan genuinely meant it, Virgil’s expression softened somewhat. “Good. Now do you mind filling me in on whatever game the two of you are playing?”

Gordon tilted his head. “Uh, Virgil, we’re watching a movie, not playing a game.”

“Could have fooled me. The two of you have had me jumping out my skin all day, sneaking up on me and yelling random things. Now spill it.”

Gordon and Alan shared a look. “Random to you,” Gordon muttered.

“Boys.”

Their father’s voice drew all of their attention and for a moment everything else just stopped as they all turned to look at him.

It felt so good to finally have him back, sitting there at his desk with that fond little smile on his face as he observed their antics. The simple knowledge that he really was home again with them washed away any lingering irritation in Virgil’s system, leaving behind only curiosity as his own gaze returned to Gordon and Alan.

“Come on.” His tone was a lot lighter now. “Out with it.”

A shrug from Gordon, a sigh from Alan, and the two seemed to make up their minds.

“We were playing ‘this or that’,” Gordon supplied, as if that would explain everything. Which it didn’t.

“Huh?” Virgil grunted.

“Care to elaborate?” Thank you, Scott, for being so articulate.

“You know.” Gordon waved his hands in some vague gesture. “The game where you pick two things and choose which one you prefer.”

Virgil wasn’t following and it must have shown because Alan turned to face him directly. “It was a Virgil-centric version. Gordon and I messaged each other with the two options and then we had to shout our answers in your hearing and see how long it took for you to catch on.”

“Which technically you still haven’t, since we’re having to explain it to you,” Gordon added.

Beside him Scott shook his head and face palmed, while Virgil just stood there feeling even more confused. “Virgil-centric?” How in the name of all five Thunderbirds did that constitute as a game? It was puerile even by Gordon and Alan’s standards.

He shifted his weight a little. “So when you shouted about there not being coffee this morning…”

“Alan asked if I was more scared of coffee deprived you or Thunderbird Two damaged you,” Gordon answered. He snorted. “Definitely coffee deprived. Everyone is at risk when that happens.”

A blink. “And ‘pod’?”

“You using a pod or your exo suit,” Alan explained. “I picked the pod because you’re less likely to get injured with that.” Gordon looked sheepish but remained silent.

Another blink. “And… ‘space?’”

“Do I think you’re better in space or the sea,” Gordon offered. “I said space. I’d rather you didn’t keep crashing your bird into my ocean if you can avoid it, thanks.”

Virgil scowled. “Fine with me. Your ocean stinks and is full of nasty sludge.”

“She’s trying to defend herself from maniac green cargo plane pilots.”

That got a snigger from Scott so Virgil elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

“And the last one?” This time the question came from their dad.

Alan smiled. “Who do I admire more, Virgil the engineer or Virgil the medic. That one was easy. Engineer Virgil is great, like Brains, but no medic has ever put me at ease like medic Virgil.”

And Virgil’s heart just kind of melted at that. No matter how annoying his brothers could be at times, every now and then one of them let something like that slip and it warmed him right to his core. He reached out and gently ruffled blond hair.

“Thanks, Allie.”

Alan let him fuss for a moment and then gently swatted him away. “I’m serious. When we got dad back you took charge straight away and got him stabilised for the trip home, then again once we landed. You gave the rest of us time to just stand and talk with him while you worked.”

Scott’s hand came down gently on Virgil’s shoulder. “He’s right you know. We never did thank you for that.”

With a warm smile on his face Virgil shook his head. “We all played our parts. I didn’t do anything more than the rest of you. But thanks, it’s nice to hear all the same.”

Everyone was calm and perfectly relaxed. Virgil only vaguely noticed that John’s hologram had appeared at their dad’s desk, his space loving brother not missing out on the touching moment between all six of them.

“I’m very proud of all of you,” Jeff spoke up softly. “And grateful. You’ve all grown into such fine young men, more than I could ever have hoped for.” A pause and he moved to get out of his chair. “Now how about we all sit down and watch a movie together? Your old man no doubt has more than a few blockbusters to catch up on.”

Alan beamed. “There are so many great action movies you need to see!”

_“I’ll be down by the time you’ve made your choice, dad,”_ John announced before disappearing.

Virgil’s chest swelled with love for his family as he took his usual seat beside Scott, while Gordon ran off to get more popcorn. His day hadn’t got off to the best of starts with Gordon and Alan’s weird game, but in the end Virgil was grateful because it had led them all to this moment. 

Finally, after all the years and space that had kept them apart, they were back together again as a family.

Everything was the way it should be.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So that may have been a bit random but I hope folk enjoy it all the same. First TAG fic in a long time, I tried to proof read it but it's after 1AM and I'm tired lol.
> 
> Also I wrote Jeff for the first time. Yay!


End file.
